local living

12/11/2014

I had the incredible fortune of meeting Tara Morris in September at Squam. She taught a beautiful (and super fun) day-long photography class, which she'll be doing again.

Meeting Tara was like, "Oh, hey there old friend, are you my sister from a past life? Because this is so weird, since I feel like I've known you forever but it's only been four days."

As we split a bottle of wine and lay on our backs by the lake looking up at the sky full of stars, Tara learned more about me -- my hopes, my dreams, my fears -- than many people who've known me for years. She just evokes that kind of immediate trust. And she's funny as shit. Which is one of the things that makes her an extremely gifted photographer: being with her makes you want to open up, makes you feel safe enough to be seen, because you intuit that she's got you, she's really got you.

The first thing Tara asked me when we met was how I got interested in photography. The first thing I said back to her was, "So that I wouldn't kill my children." I was straight serious, and she knew I was serious, so of course we busted out laughing.

I explained that when I'm at home with three small children tearing up my house, generating endless piles of laundry, and demanding my constant attention for their ceaseless needs, the camera becomes my meditation. Through the lens, I pause. I see the way the frozen blueberry juice is dripping down Bee's feet, the light reflecting off the purple drips just so. *snap-click!* I see the way Buddy Boy has smeared peanut butter with his hands all over the storm door window, the way the sunlight shines right through. *snap-click!*. Through my camera, I can find the beauty that eludes me during these otherwise mundane (and generally exhausting) moments of everyday life with three young children.

When Tara offered to do a family photo session with us last month it took me .5 seconds to say "YES!!" My kids trusted her immediately (which they rarely do with "strangers"), and she genuinely captured them in the natural, beautiful ways that they are: messy, adorable, vivacious, mischievous, little lovers of love.

Having her in our home was such a joy, and the photographs she took will be treasured by our family forever.

05/12/2014

Everything is coming up spring in New England. Better late than never. I remember writing about spring resurrection last year, and so much of what I said then still resonates.

Rebirth. Renewal. The shedding of old, dry skin and the reinvention that comes with growth.

This long winter took a toll on me. This spring, I'm trying to put some intention and effort into self-care. I've been doing a lot of yoga. Running. Listening to Tara Brach on my podcast app. Trying to notice the details of nature coming back to color. Trying to sit still more often. Practicing awareness. Practicing self-compassion. Practicing noticing without judging.

It's spring, after all. Everything bursting into bloom. Miracles all around us.

01/03/2014

We ended 2013 in the woods of northern Vermont. Reveling in the snow, cherishing the chaos of four adults, five children under five (two sets of twins!) and one big dog all hunkered down together in a remote wooden house. No cell phone coverage. No internet. Nowhere else we needed to be. Nothing else we should be doing.

It was perfect.

Totally perfect.

Even the annoying moments. Exhausted children refusing to nap. A slobbery and unexpected dog lick to my eye socket at 3am. Hot ashes spilling out of the kitchen wood stove and rising in a purple-gray puff, right up through the ceiling vent into our bedroom (cough-cough-cough!) and setting off the smoke alarm. Icy trails not ideal for novice cross country skiiers (ahem, that would be me).

And yet... did I notice, you may ask? Yes, I did. This...

And this...

And this...

And this...

And now it's 2014. Another calendar year ahead of us. Another moment that is exactly what it is supposed to be. Another moment where I stand exactly where I am. Another moment where the best I can do is to notice, to breathe in, and then out, to fill out the space around me with my best surrendering and sense of humor and loving attention. For myself. For everyone else around me. For whatever task is at hand, which will not happen faster or more completly if I am distracted and grumpy.

And when I forget about being in this exact moment, when my mind wanders and I trail away... to the to do list, to fears about things in the future, to the ticking time on the clock, to the mess in my living room... I will begin again. As immediately as I can muster. With a new moment. Infusing life with grace requires simply beginning, again.

09/03/2013

{{ I'm a bit of a reluctant city-dweller. Visiting local farms and learning about the places where our food comes from is one of my family's favorite things to do.

This post is the first in a new series on the Multiple Realities blog:to farm from city (with kids). In this series, I'll feature great day trips to farms near Providence, RI that are good spots to visit with young children, but that are fun for grown-ups, too. If you know a local farm you'd like to suggest for me to feature, please email me and let me know! Thanks friends, and happy local living... }}

Labor Day weekend was sticky and wet in Providence. Humid. Rainy. BLEH. The kind of weather that makes you *not* want to be sitting around in a city with three small children under foot.

So on Sunday we headed out for a fantastic family day trip, to pick up some fresh raw milk from Buttercup Farm in Sterling, CT. Buttercup Farm is about a 40 minute (beautiful!) drive from Providence, and is owned and operated by super-awesome farmer Megan Johnson.

We had never met farmer Megan before, but she and her helper, Robert, were so friendly and gracious, showing us all around the farm and explaining to our kids how the cows live, eat, and give us fresh milk to drink.

Megan and Robert introduced us to their four-month-old calf, Coco Butter. Megan told us how she still feeds Coco Butter from a bottle, and Junebug's eyes grew so wide when she heard that cows have four stomachs. "Four! FOUR stomachs, Mom! Can you imagine?"

Herman the goat was also very sweet with the kids. In fact, Megan told us Herman often visits with sick children, making their days a little brighter. Such a good goat, that Herman.

The farm currently has four milking cows - three Jerseys and one Guernsey, in addition to a few other non-milking farm friends, like a heifer, a 31-year-old horse, and a pet steer named Moses. There are three calf babies due soon - check the Buttercup Farm Facebook page for updates on their births, or to plan a time to visit the farm to see the new babies once they're born!

Megan milks the cows twice a day: once at 5am and again around 5 or 5:30pm. We visited in the morning, so we didn't get to see the actual milking, but Megan encouraged us to come again in the early evening sometime to watch the cows give their milk (which I'm sure we will do!).

Buttercup Farm's milk is rigorously and frequently tested by both Connecticut state and private, independent inspectors. It far surpasses all standards for clean, healthy raw milk. And, as you might expect, it tastes absolutely delicious!

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After spending our morning on the farm, we made the short drive to Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm to check out some handsome turkeys and grab lunch from the farm café.

I highly recommend the Thanksgiving Sandwich and homemade cucumber ice cream (yum!). If you'd rather not spend the cash, the outdoor picnic tables are suitable for eating a packed lunch from home, too.

Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm also features a corn maze which looked like fun, but we didn't have time to try that out during our visit. After we finished our ice cream and said goodbye to the turkeys, we headed home to the city again... just in time for some really good naps.

Welcome

Greetings from Providence! I'm Jennifer, working mom of twins + 1. I'm also a writer, educator, activist, seeker, aspiring photographer and maker of things. I juggle multiple realities all the time and this is where I share about it. Thanks for stopping by!